Meeting with Arvid Griefeneder our swedish agent
You started working at a very young age, do you think you have matured faster than people your age from that time?
Yeah, I think so. I started my own company I when I was sixteen. My father helped me out with a lot of stuff back then. There was a time when I was really sick of school, I didn’t want to go and I hated it. I wanted to work but it is difficult to get a job when you are sixteen in Sweden with no education etc… you have nothing. So I opened a restaurant that enabled me to pay my invoices and get my driving licence. Then when I was eighteen I started to study journalism, but this was not for me either. After that I moved to Norway for few months and worked there in a hotel. Finally I came back to Sweden and started working in a clothing shop.
Is the textile market a passion or were you dropped into it by chance?
I thought it could be fun. I didn’t know a lot about it. I started in a basic clothing shop called Carlings. The clothes were really cheap and after a day of work my fingers were scalded due to the chemicals inside the clothes. Big brands put this shit in their clothes! Then I decided to work for a brand that worked with organic stuff. I found a brand called? I really liked how they worked. Everything is organic and sustainable. So I started to work as a shop manager at Uma Bazaar in Malmo. And then I buried myself into the Hi On Life adventure…
You were co-manager of the HI ON LIFE shop in Malmo for 7 years. Can you tell us a little about your shop?
I opened Hi On Life when I was twenty-one with a friend who studied fashion and economics, so I learnt a lot from her. I have her to thank for putting me on the right track. Today the shop is closed and Hi On Life is becoming a brand. My friend has moved to Ghana to develop the brand. Ghana offers really good craftsmanship, making everything by hand and based on fair trade. The village where she lives is really poor and in development so this activity there gives people a source of income. If the brand grows the village will grow with it! The brand would then be distributed in Europe. This is a beautiful project as you can live your passion and help a population at the same time.
Why did you decide to leave HI ON LIFE?
Unofficially, I still help out a lot but I do not have enough time to be 100% part of this project. And if I take on anything more I will burnout. I want to now concentrate on my agency which is still in the early stages and I have to work hard if I want to generate enough money to survive.
How did you discover OLOW and what made you want to market it?
I was in Paris visiting Veja and I met Artaud. I was also there to look for another brand as the brands that I had in the agency were stopping production. I was drawn by the Olow brand philosophy. You work with artists from all over and I like this. I also wanted to put a French brand into the Scandinavian market. I saw this as a fun opportunity.
How does the Swedish textile market compare to French brands?
Things are of course easier with Scandinavian brands. The problem is that most of the French brands that are present on the Swedish market are higher than other Scandinavian brands, and people from Sweden, Norway or Denmark are focussed on Scandinavian brands. I think the key to success in this complicated market is working a lot. We have to put Olow into the Scandinavian minds and try to make it acceptable to their opinion. Scandinavians are really picky with what they wear and how they wear it. There are two sides. 80% is from store chains and 20% is from individual, smaller shops. So there is a huge competition.
What is the perfect day in Malmo?
The day starts by going to « Chez Madame » which is a café where you can have one of the best breakfasts! Everything is organic and you can order some crazy things there! In summer we go to the beach! There we drink beer, not wine! (laughs) In the evening we can go to Themalo which is an area where I live and where I had the shop before. There are lot of restaurants and parties there! Then on to a Bar called South from Smolla where all beers are hand-made! And finally to a club! If you have more time you should go to Copenhagen which takes only 30 minutes by train.
In your entourage in your city, are there any artists you would like us to share with?
This is Head not really friends but someone I know a bit, Maja Goffe making really cool stuff and finally Anna Österlund fashion designer and photographer.
You grew up in Berlin, where must we absolutely go today?
Burgermeister !
Thanks to Arvid
– P.L –
